"I hope this measure is temporary, I am waiting for the moment when I can return the Russian flag" - Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev has expressed his hope that the decision by tennis' governing bodies to prevent Russian players from competing under the nation's flag is temporary. The World No. 1 also underlined the importance of playing tournaments as it is the only way to help develop the sport.

Last week, the ITF, ATP and WTA took action against Russian and Belarusian players in response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Players from the two nations will be allowed to play on the men's and women's tours and at Grand Slam events, but not under the name or flag of their respective countries "until further notice."

The ITF announced the cancelation of all their events in Russia and Belarus as well as the suspension of the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) and Belarus Tennis Federation (BTF) from team competitions. This means that RTF's men's and women's teams will not be able to defend the titles they won in the Davis Cup or the Billie Jean King Cup in 2021.

Medvedev and fellow Russian ATP player, World No. 25 Karen Khachanov, have since removed their country's flag from the bios of their Instagram accounts.

In a recent interview with RIA Novosti, the new World No. 1 men's player shared his thoughts on being unable to represent his country's flag.

"Our task is to develop tennis in our countries and around the world, for this you need to play tournaments," the 26-year-old said. "At the moment, the only way to continue is to play under the flag of the organization, and I will follow this rule. I hope this measure is temporary. I am waiting for the moment when I can return the flag."

Daniil Medvedev can win a fifth Masters 1000 title at upcoming BNP Paribas Open

Daniil Medvedev at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters

Daniil Medvedev is aiming to win his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, which begins later this week. The Russian's four triumphs at this level - Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris and Canada - have all come on hardcourt.

The 26-year-old, who will be playing a tournament for the first time as World No. 1, is looking for his first title of the year. He holds a 5-4 (56%) record from his four appearances in Indian Wells, making it his least successful hardcourt ATP Masters 1000 event.

The US Open champion achieved his best result so far in the Californian desert last year, where he fell to Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round. Indian Wells and Miami are the two hardcourt ATP Masters 1000 events he is yet to win.